List of Odonata species of South Africa

The common English names are those used by Tarboton (2015)^[1] and Tarboton and Tarboton (2015).^[2] Alternative names used by Tarboton and Tarboton (2002),^[3] Tarboton and Tarboton (2005),^[4] Samways (2008),^[5] and Dijkstra and Clausnitzer (2014)^[6] are given in brackets.

Zygoptera (damselflies)

Calopterygidae

Phaon
- Phaon iridipennis, glistening demoiselle

Chlorocyphidae

Chlorocypha
- Chlorocypha consueta, ruby jewel
Platycypha
- Platycypha caligata, dancing jewel
- Platycypha fitzsimonsi, boulder jewel (Fitzsimons's jewel^[4])

Synlestidae

Chlorolestes
- Chlorolestes apricans, Amatola malachite (basking malachite^[5])
- Chlorolestes conspicuus, conspicuous malachite
- Chlorolestes draconicus, Drakensberg malachite
- Chlorolestes elegans, elegant malachite
- Chlorolestes fasciatus, mountain malachite
- Chlorolestes nylephtha, queen malachite
- Chlorolestes peringueyi, rock malachite (marbled malachite^[5])
- Chlorolestes tessellatus, forest malachite
- Chlorolestes umbratus, white malachite

Lestidae

Lestes
- Lestes dissimulans, cryptic spreadwing
- Lestes ictericus, tawny spreadwing
- Lestes pallidus, pallid spreadwing
- Lestes plagiatus, highland spreadwing (common spreadwing^[4])
- Lestes tridens, spotted spreadwing
- Lestes uncifer, sickle spreadwing
- Lestes virgatus, smoky spreadwing

Platycnemididae

Allocnemis
- Allocnemis leucosticta, goldtail
Elattoneura
- Elattoneura frenulata, sooty threadtail
- Elattoneura glauca, common threadtail
Mesocnemis
- Mesocnemis singularis, savanna riverjack (riverjack,^[5] common riverjack^[6])
Metacnemis
- Metacnemis valida, blue riverjack (Kubusi stream-damsel,^[4] Kubusi streamjack^[5])
Spesbona
- Spesbona angusta, spesbona (Ceres stream-damsel,^[4] Ceres streamjack^[5])

Coenagrionidae

Aciagrion
- Aciagrion dondoense, opal slim
- Aciagrion gracile, graceful slim (Aciagrion pinheyi is treated as conspecific with A. gracile)^[2]

Africallagma
- Africallagma fractum, slender bluet
- Africallagma glaucum, swamp bluet
- Africallagma sapphirinum, sapphire bluet
- Africallagma sinuatum, arid bluet
Agriocnemis
- Agriocnemis exilis, little whisp
- Agriocnemis falcifera, white-masked whisp
- Agriocnemis gratiosa, gracious whisp
- Agriocnemis pinheyi, Pinhey's whisp
- Agriocnemis ruberrima, orange whisp
Azuragrion
- Azuragrion nigridorsum, sailing bluet (black-tailed bluet^[4])
Ceriagrion
- Ceriagrion glabrum, common citril
- Ceriagrion suave, suave citril
Ischnura
- Ischnura senegalensis, tropical bluetail (African bluetail^[4])
  Proischnura rotundipennis, a southern African endemic
Proischnura
- Proischnura polychromatica, Cape bluet
- Proischnura rotundipennis, round-winged bluet
- Proischnura subfurcata, fork-tailed bluet
Pseudagrion
- Pseudagrion acaciae, acacia sprite
  Pseudagrion caffrum, a southern African endemic
- Pseudagrion assegaii, assegai sprite
- Pseudagrion caffrum, springwater sprite
- Pseudagrion citricola, yellow-faced sprite
- Pseudagrion coeleste, catshead sprite
- Pseudagrion commoniae, black sprite
- Pseudagrion draconis, mountain sprite
- Pseudagrion furcigerum, palmiet sprite
- Pseudagrion gamblesi, great sprite (Gamble's sprite^[4])
- Pseudagrion hageni, painted sprite (Hagen's sprite^[4])
- Pseudagrion hamoni, swarthy sprite (Hamon's sprite^[4])
- Pseudagrion inopinatum, Balinsky's sprite (Badplaas sprite^[4])
- Pseudagrion kersteni, powder-faced sprite (Kersten's sprite^[4])
- Pseudagrion makabusiense, makabusi sprite
- Pseudagrion massaicum, Masai sprite
- Pseudagrion newtoni, harlequin sprite (Newton's sprite^[4])
- Pseudagrion salisburyense, slate sprite (Salisbury sprite^[4])
- Pseudagrion sjoestedti, variable sprite (Sjostedt's sprite^[4])
- Pseudagrion spernatum, upland sprite (Natal sprite^[4])
- Pseudagrion sublacteum, cherry-eye sprite
- Pseudagrion sudanicum, blue-sided sprite (Sudan sprite^[4])
- Pseudagrion vaalense, Vaal sprite

Anisoptera (dragonflies)

Gomphidae

Ceratogomphus
- Ceratogomphus pictus, common thorntail
- Ceratogomphus triceraticus, Cape thorntail
Crenigomphus
- Crenigomphus cornutus, horned talontail
- Crenigomphus hartmanni, clubbed talontail (Hartmann's talontail^[3])
Gomphidia
- Gomphidia quarrei, southern fingertail (Quarre's fingertail^[3])
Ictinogomphus
- Ictinogomphus ferox, common tigertail
Lestinogomphus
- Lestinogomphus angustus, spined fairytail
Microgomphus
- Microgomphus nyassicus, eastern scissortail
Neurogomphus
- Neurogomphus zambeziensis, Zambezi siphontail
Notogomphus
- Notogomphus praetorius, yellowjack (yellowjack longleg^[6])
Onychogomphus
- Onychogomphus supinus, lined claspertail (claspertail,^[3] gorge claspertail^[5])
Paragomphus
- Paragomphus cognatus, rock hooktail (boulder hooktail^[5])
- Paragomphus elpidius, corkscrew hooktail
- Paragomphus genei, common hooktail (green hooktail^[3]^[5])
- Paragomphus magnus, great hooktail
- Paragomphus sabicus, flapper hooktail (Sabi hooktail^[3])
Phyllogomphus
- Phyllogomphus brunneus, bold leaftail

Aeshnidae

Anaciaeschna
- Anaciaeschna triangulifera, evening hawker
Anax
- Anax ephippiger, vagrant emperor
- Anax imperator, blue emperor
- Anax speratus, orange emperor
- Anax tristis, black emperor
Gynacantha
- Gynacantha manderica, little duskhawker (little dusk-hawker^[3])
- Gynacantha usambaricus, Usambara duskhawker (Usambara dusk-hawker^[3])
- Gynacantha villosa, hairy duskhawker (hairy cusk-hawker,^[3] brown duskhawker^[5])
Pinheyschna
- Pinheyschna subpupillata, stream hawker
Zosteraeschna
- Zosteraeschna minuscula, friendly hawker
- Zosteraeschna usambarica, forest hawker (Elliot's hawker^[3]^[5])

Synthemistidae

Syncordulia
- Syncordulia gracilis, yellow presba
- Syncordulia legator, gilded presba
- Syncordulia serendipator, rustic presba
- Syncordulia venator, chestnut presba (mahogany presba^[5])

Macromiidae

Phyllomacromia
- Phyllomacromia contumax, two-banded cruiser
- Phyllomacromia monoceros, sable cruiser (black cruiser,^[3] unicorn cruiser^[5])
- Phyllomacromia picta, darting cruiser

Corduliidae

Hemicordulia
- Hemicordulia africana, African emerald

Libellulidae

Acisoma
- Acisoma inflatum, stout pintail (grizzled pintail^[3]^[5])
- Acisoma variegatum, slender pintail (grizzled pintail^[3]^[5])
Aethriamanta
- Aethriamanta rezia, pygmy basker
Brachythemis
- Brachythemis lacustris, red groundling
- Brachythemis leucosticta, banded groundling
Bradinopyga
- Bradinopyga cornuta, horned rockdweller (don-dwala^[3])
Chalcostephia
- Chalcostephia flavifrons, inspector
Crocothemis
- Crocothemis divisa, rock scarlet (divisa scarlet^[3]^[5])
- Crocothemis erythraea, broad scarlet
- Crocothemis sanguinolenta, little scarlet

Diplacodes
- Diplacodes lefebvrii, black percher
- Diplacodes luminans, barbet percher (barbet^[3])
- Diplacodes pumila, dwarf percher
Hemistigma
- Hemistigma albipuncta, African piedspot (pied-spot^[3]^[5])
Macrodiplax
- Macrodiplax cora, coastal pennant (Cora's pennant^[3]^[5])
Nesciothemis
- Nesciothemis farinosa, eastern blacktail (black-tailed skimmer^[3]^[5])

Notiothemis
- Notiothemis jonesi, eastern forestwatcher (forest-watcher,^[3] Jones' forestwatcher^[5])
Olpogastra
- Olpogastra lugubris, bottletail (slender bottletail^[3]^[5])
Orthetrum
- Orthetrum abbotti, little skimmer (Abbott's skimmer^[3])
- Orthetrum brachiale, banded skimmer
- Orthetrum caffrum, two-striped skimmer
- Orthetrum chrysostigma, epaulet skimmer
- Orthetrum guineense, Guinea skimmer
- Orthetrum hintzi, dark-shouldered skimmer (Hintz's skimmer^[3]^[5])
- Orthetrum icteromelas, spectacled skimmer
- Orthetrum julia, Julia skimmer
- Orthetrum machadoi, highland skimmer (Machado's skimmer^[3]^[5])
- Orthetrum monardi, woodland skimmer
- Orthetrum robustum, robust skimmer
- Orthetrum rubens, elusive skimmer (ruby skimmer^[3])
- Orthetrum stemmale, bold skimmer (strong skimmer^[3]^[5])
- Orthetrum trinacria, long skimmer
Palpopleura
- Palpopleura deceptor, deceptive widow
- Palpopleura jucunda, yellow-veined widow
- Palpopleura lucia, Lucia widow
- Palpopleura portia, portia widow
Pantala
- Pantala flavescens, pantala (wandering glider^[6])
Parazyxomma
- Parazyxomma flavicans, banded duskdarter (banded dusk-darter^[3])
Rhyothemis
- Rhyothemis semihyalina, phantom flutterer
Sympetrum
- Sympetrum fonscolombii, nomad
Tetrathemis
- Tetrathemis polleni, black-splashed elf (black-splash^[3])
Tholymis
- Tholymis tillarga, twister
Tramea
- Tramea basilaris, keyhole glider
- Tramea limbata, ferruginous glider (voyaging glider^[5])

Trithemis
- Trithemis aconita, halfshade dropwing (monkshood dropwing^[3]^[5])
- Trithemis annulata, violet dropwing
- Trithemis arteriosa, red-veined dropwing
- Trithemis donaldsoni, denim dropwing (Donaldson’s dropwing^[3])
- Trithemis dorsalis, highland dropwing (dorsal dropwing,^[3] round-hook dropwing^[5])
- Trithemis furva, navy dropwing
- Trithemis hecate, silhouette dropwing (Hecate dropwing^[3])
- Trithemis kirbyi, orange-winged dropwing (Kirby’s dropwing^[3]^[5])
- Trithemis pluvialis, russet dropwing (river dropwing,^[3] riffle-and-reed dropwing^[5])
- Trithemis stictica, jaunty dropwing
- Trithemis werneri, elegant dropwing (Werner’s dropwing^[3])
Urothemis
- Urothemis assignata, red basker
- Urothemis edwardsii, blue basker
- Urothemis luciana, St Lucia basker
Zygonoides
- Zygonoides fuelleborni, southern riverking (Fulleborn’s riverking,^[3] robust riverking^[5])
Zygonyx
- Zygonyx natalensis, blue cascader (Scuffed Cascader^[5])
- Zygonyx torridus, ringed cascader
Zyxomma
- Zyxomma atlanticum, smoky duskdarter (smoky dusk-darter^[3])

References

^ Tarboton, Warwick (May 2015). "Checklist of South African Odonata" (PDF). www.warwicktarboton.co.za. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
^ ^a ^b Tarboton, Warwick; Tarboton, Michèle (2015). A Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of South Africa. Cape Town: Struik Nature. ISBN 9781775841845.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj ^ak Tarboton, W.R.; Tarboton, M. (2002). A fieldguide to the dragonflies of South Africa. South Africa: Warwick & Michèle Tarboton. ISBN 0620298871.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q Tarboton, W.R.; Tarboton, M. (2005). A fieldguide to the damselflies of South Africa. South Africa: Warwick & Michèle Tarboton. ISBN 0620338784.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae Samways, Michael J. (2008). Dragonflies and damselflies of South Africa (1st ed.). Sofia: Pensoft. ISBN 978-954-642-330-6.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Dijkstra, K.-D.B.; Clausnitzer, V. (2014). The dragonflies and damselflies of eastern Africa. Tervuren: Royal Museum for Central Africa. ISBN 978-94-916-1506-1.